Top 10: Coolest venues for Wolf Pack football

Notre Dame Stadium

Every Sunday, RGJ columnist Chris Murray will count down a top-10 list. This week's list counts down the 10 coolest venues the Wolf Pack football team has played in (we'll count the Rose Bowl, which Nevada debuted in Saturday, but not Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium, which the Wolf Pack plays in later this year).

1. Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame): Built in 1930 for $750,000, this is likely college football's most famous stadium. It was built with more than two million bricks. Touchdown Jesus has to top the list.

2. Rose Bowl (UCLA): This stadium has hosted Olympic events twice (1932 and 1984), five Super Bowls, two World Cups and 98 Rose Bowl games. You could make a strong case this stadium should be No. 1.

3. Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): This stadium (capacity 92,000) holds the NCAA record for consecutive sellouts at 325, a streak that started in 1962. Nevada's trip there in 2007 ended in a 52-10 loss.

4. L.A. Coliseum (Southern Cal): Nevada last played there in 1929, six years after the stadium opened (it lost that game, 66-0). The Coliseum has hosted two Olympics, plus the Super Bowl and World Series.

5. AT&T Park (S.F. Giants): An unusual addition, but Nevada played in this baseball-first stadium in the 2010 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. The beautiful park (regardless of sport) sits along the San Francisco Bay.

6. Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): This place is the epitome of what college football should be all about: pageantry, loyalty, crazy fans and high-quality football. It's Middle America at its best.

7. Autzen Stadium (Oregon): Many coaches, players and analysts list Autzen Stadium as the loudest venue in college football. The Wolf Pack found that out in 2011, when it took a 69-20 loss there.

8. California Memorial Stadium (Cal): After a $321 million renovation last summer, the Wolf Pack christened the new Memorial Stadium with a 31-24 win in the first game played there post-renovation.

9. LaVell Edwards Stadium (BYU): This stadium stands out because of its gorgeous backdrop, the Wasatch Mountains sitting a short walk from the field. It is college football's most picturesque setting.

10. Stanford Stadium (Stanford): Nevada last played there in 1931, when the stadium held 89,000 fans (it holds 50,360 now). The stadium was demolished in 2005 and rebuilt, so Nevada hasn't actually played in the stadium, although it's played on the exact site, which is good enough for me.